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Donald Trump's Deputies Want More Detention to Block, Repatriate Migrants

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:03:05 +0000

Donald Trump's deputies say they will dramatically expand the detention space needed for the bureaucratic process of flying illegal migrants back to their foreign homes, according to NBC News.

The post Donald Trump’s Deputies Want More Detention to Block, Repatriate Migrants appeared first on Breitbart.


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Fmr. Biden Border Patrol Chief: Homan Will Fix Many Issues I Had with Biden, Picking Him 'a Tremendous Step'

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:51:02 +0000

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that, during the Biden administration, “One of the things we struggled with when I was the Chief was getting engagement from policy officials

The post Fmr. Biden Border Patrol Chief: Homan Will Fix Many Issues I Had with Biden, Picking Him ‘a Tremendous Step’ appeared first on Breitbart.


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Pritzker: I'll Protect Illegal Immigrants, It Was a 'Problem' When Texas Sent Us Migrants

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 02:24:30 +0000

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) vowed to “do everything that I can to protect our undocumented immigrants.” But also stated that the state “had the problem of the very inhumane shipping of migrants”

The post Pritzker: I’ll Protect Illegal Immigrants, It Was a ‘Problem’ When Texas Sent Us Migrants appeared first on Breitbart.


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Lunchables Pulled from School Menus After Testing Positive for Lead

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:49:36 +0000

Lunchables are being removed from school lunch menus across the U.S. after just a year of them being included in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) after they tested positive for lead and other harmful materials.

The post Lunchables Pulled from School Menus After Testing Positive for Lead appeared first on Breitbart.


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Senate Majority Leader-Elect Thune: Senate Republicans ‘Excited’ to Put Trump’s Agenda into Action

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:02:29 +0000

Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune (R-SD) said Senate Republicans "are excited" to enact President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.

The post Senate Majority Leader-Elect Thune: Senate Republicans ‘Excited’ to Put Trump’s Agenda into Action appeared first on Breitbart.


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Disney’s ‘Frozen 3’ Star Josh Gad Smears Incoming Trump Admin. as Nazis: 'Springtime for Hitler and Germany'

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:38:42 +0000

Actor Josh Gad, who is set to reprise his role as Olaf in Disney's upcoming Frozen 3, has smeared the incoming Trump administration as Nazis -- naturally using a musical theater analogy involving "Springtime for Hitler" from The Producers.

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Lichtman Blames Bad Election Prediction on Conservative Media 'Disinformation' and Elon Musk

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:59:28 +0000

Historian and political scientist Allan Lichtman said Tuesday on NewsNation's "Cuomo" that conservative media disinformation and billionaire Elon Musk were why his election prediction that Vice President Harris would win the presidency was incorrect.

The post Lichtman Blames Bad Election Prediction on Conservative Media ‘Disinformation’ and Elon Musk appeared first on Breitbart.


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La Leche League Official Resigns in Protest of Pro-Trans 'Chestfeeding' Policy

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:13:23 +0000

Miriam Main resigned on Monday and said she refuses to help men "perform a poor imitation of breastfeeding," which can put babies' safety at risk,

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Los Angeles D.A.: Teacher Left Husband to Be in 'Love' with Student, 13, That She Was Grooming

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:07:30 +0000

A Los Angeles middle school teacher has been charged after allegedly grooming her 13-year-old student into a sexual relationship for over a year, with prosecutors saying she left her husband to be in "love" with the child.

The post Los Angeles D.A.: Teacher Left Husband to Be in ‘Love’ with Student, 13, That She Was Grooming appeared first on Breitbart.


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Pennsylvania Senate Race Moves to Recount as Republican Dave McCormick Holds Lead over Bob Casey

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:34:13 +0000

Pennsylvania's Senate race moved to a recount as Senator-elect Dave McCormick (R) continues to hold a lead over incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D).

The post Pennsylvania Senate Race Moves to Recount as Republican Dave McCormick Holds Lead over Bob Casey appeared first on Breitbart.


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Alex Marlow: Trump Crushing Deep State with Cabinet Picks

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:14:34 +0000

On “The Alex Marlow Show” on Wednesday, Breitbart Editor-in-Chief and host Alex Marlow praised the pick of Pete Hegseth to be Defense Secretary. Marlow said, “We don’t want Deep Staters. We don’t want people who came from the board of

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Juan Merchan Delays Ruling on Trump Prosecution, Either Backing Down or Setting Trap

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:10:20 +0000

Donald Trump moved one step closer to beating Alvin Bragg’s lawfare against him on Tuesday as Justice Juan Merchan rescheduled ruling on motions to set aside the politically motivated New York convictions.

The post Juan Merchan Delays Ruling on Trump Prosecution, Either Backing Down or Setting Trap appeared first on Breitbart.


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Matt Gaetz Resigns from Congress After Trump Nominates Him as Attorney General

By www.breitbart.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:44:56 +0000

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has resigned from his congressional seat after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to serve as Attorney General in his administration.

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Trump’s proposed tariffs, especially on China and Mexico, could hit California hard

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:14:00 GMT

By Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters

Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.

A range of experts, from Nobel Prize-winning economists to an internet-famous menswear writer, have a message for Americans who voted for Donald Trump based on his promises to bring down prices: This likely won’t go how you want. 

Some voters cited the cost of living as a factor in their decision to elect Trump to a second term as president. But with inflation actually starting to ease, his proposed tariffs, which the president-elect has called the “most beautiful word in the dictionary,” could actually raise prices again.

While some experts don’t think more tariffs are a bad idea, the majority of economists and other experts who spoke with CalMatters echoed 23 Nobel laureates who warned that Trump’s policies would be worse for the economy than the ones proposed by Vice President Kamala Harris. Those economists wrote a letter last month calling Harris’ economic agenda “vastly superior” to Trump’s, and mentioned tariffs as one reason.

“His policies, including high tariffs even on goods from our friends and allies and regressive tax cuts for corporations and individuals, will lead to higher prices, larger deficits, and greater inequality,” the economists wrote.

Businesses that import goods into the country must pay the tariffs. They tend to pass on their increased costs to consumers, with some executives recently promising to do just that during their earnings calls. So economists largely view tariffs as a tax, especially on the lowest- and middle-income families in the nation. 

While tariffs could raise prices for all U.S. consumers, California could feel the brunt of the impact in part because of the countries Trump singled out during his campaign: China and Mexico. Those two countries accounted for 40% of the state’s imports in 2023.

“The port and logistics complex in Southern California is a very important part of the economy, and directly tied to the countries he threatened,” said Stephen Levy, an economist and director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, an independent, private research organization in Silicon Valley. 

Trump imposed tariffs during his first presidential term, and President Joe Biden maintained some of them. During his campaign this time around, Trump said he intends to impose tariffs of 10% to 20% on all imports, and has mentioned even higher tariffs on goods from China (60%) and Mexico (100% to 200% on cars). 

Such tariffs could exacerbate California’s already high cost of living and raise the prices of cars, technology and electronic products, medical devices, groceries and more. Also, as the state saw during Trump’s first term — which included a trade war, with countries retaliating with their own tariffs on U.S. exports — California’s agricultural industry is likely to feel the effects. Trump’s proposed tariffs could also have an adverse effect on the state’s ports, which are among the nation’s busiest. 

And all of those outcomes could have a ripple effect on jobs in the state, including those in agriculture, trade and manufacturing.

What the state’s ports expect

Trade experts say it’s too early to tell how the state’s ports could be affected, though some of them also said they expect a near-term surge in activity as businesses brace themselves for tariffs by importing more goods now. 

“Long Beach and Los Angeles are two of the largest ports in the U.S.,” said Jonathan Aronson, a professor of communication and international relations at the University of Southern California, who studies trade and the international political economy. “Their traffic would presumably slow in both directions” if Trump imposes tariffs, Aronson said. Like other experts, though, he wondered if the president-elect is using the threat of tariffs as a negotiating tactic — say, to pressure Mexico into doing more to limit immigration into the United States. 

The most recent available data for the Port of Los Angeles, which is the busiest in North America and handles nearly 10% of all U.S. imports, shows that trade activity rose nearly 19% at the port in September from the same month a year ago. September imports totaled $27.9 billion, a 20% increase year over year. There’s a chance those numbers could head the opposite direction as a result of tariffs.

“Significant increases in tariffs, and the possibility of retaliatory tariffs, could have a significant impact on traffic — and jobs — at the port,” said Phillip Sanfield, a spokesperson. “We’re monitoring developments closely.”

The Port of Los Angeles says nearly 1 million California jobs are related to trade at that port.

The Port of Long Beach handles about 3% of all U.S. imports and has about 575,000 Southern California jobs tied to trade. Chief Executive Mario Cordero said, through a spokesperson, that he is waiting to see what trade policies Trump actually will adopt: “At this point we expect that strong consumer demand will continue to drive cargo shipments upward in the near term.” 

The Port of Oakland, whose trade-related jobs at both the airport and seaport number about 98,000, also expects a traffic boost at first. Spokesperson Robert Bernardo: “As a West Coast seaport, our primary trading partner is Asia, and what’s happening right now is that retailers are expecting a short-term shipping surge in advance of new tariffs.” 

Mike Jacob is the president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, a not-for-profit maritime trade association whose members facilitate trade. They include ocean carriers, marine terminal operators and more. 

Jacob, too, said he is expecting trade activity to pick up ahead of whatever tariffs Trump imposes: “Given the lack of understanding of the timing, scope and scale (of the tariffs), you’re more likely than not to move cargo earlier.”

As a result of tariffs during Trump’s first term, Jacob said there was “a small bump in cargo back in 2019 that resulted in additional impacts on our logistics chain.” He said after that experience, which was then followed by pandemic-related chaos, the industry might be a little more prepared to deal with possible supply-chain disruptions.

Possible effects on manufacturing

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is worried about potential tariffs on goods from Mexico. Kenia Zamarripa, a spokesperson for the group, said the CaliBaja region — which includes San Diego and Imperial counties and the Mexican state of Baja California — is interconnected, with a multibillion-dollar supply chain. The region’s logistics facilitate 80% of the trade between California and Mexico, she said.

The nation’s top imports from Mexico in September — worth at least $2 billion for each category — were petroleum and coal products, computer equipment and motor vehicle parts, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Some specific products that are imported into the U.S. from Mexico through California include the Toyota Tacoma. The truck and its components are made in Baja California and elsewhere in Mexico. “Imagine taxing each component before it goes to Mexico and back,” Zamarripa said. 

She added that the region also leads in producing medical devices, and that the importance of that became apparent during the beginning of the pandemic when “a bunch of companies shut down, not knowing that a little metal piece they were producing was a vital part of a heart monitor, for example.”

Mexico’s economy minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said this week that he would hit the U.S. with tariffs if Trump imposes tariffs, though President Claudia Sheinbaum has seemed more open to negotiations.  

Lance Hastings, chief executive of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, said he’s well aware of the disruption tariffs can cause. When Trump put tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, aluminum prices rose at least 25%, Hastings said. “I was in the beer industry when it was put in, and we felt it,” he added.

Hastings also said the anxiety around Trump’s proposed tariffs stem in part from the fact that “we’re still trying to get the supply chain back to normal” after the pandemic. Because “California is the gateway to Asia, the state would feel the impact of more tariffs first and more than everybody else,” he said.

Made in the USA

Yet there is a bit of optimism among those who think some tariffs could actually help California manufacturers. 

Sanjiv Malhotra, founder and CEO of Sparkz, a maker of lithium batteries, said tariffs could benefit his company and the rest of the domestic battery industry amid the increasing popularity of electric vehicles. 

Sparkz, which will get its materials from West Virginia and make batteries at a plant in Sacramento, “is all U.S.-sourced. Nothing is coming in from China,” Malhotra said.

During his campaign, Trump indicated he would try to roll back emission-reduction rules and said he would oppose banning gas-powered vehicles. But Malhotra, who served in the U.S. Energy Department under the first Trump administration, said that as demand for lithium batteries grows, he believes Trump’s incoming administration will understand that they “need to be made here in the U.S. so we are not dependent on China for batteries.”

Kate Gordon, CEO of California Forward, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the state’s economy, said that while it’s important to get back some of “what we’ve lost over the past couple of decades” — the nation once led in solar panels — it “needs to happen deliberately and with attention to where we’re really competitive.”

“What would be terrible would be tariffs on things where we’re no longer competitive, like parts of the solar supply chain, which have been held by China for a long time,” she said. All that would do is drive up prices, Gordon said.

Americans may say they want things to be made in the USA, but they also don’t want to pay higher prices for them, said Derek Guy, a menswear writer based in San Francisco who has covered the clothing industry for more than a decade. A few years ago, Guy wrote about American Apparel, under new ownership, offering U.S. consumers the option of paying a little bit more for clothing made here vs. similar pieces made overseas. 

“Even based on a few dollars, when someone wasn’t looking over (their) shoulder, people chose the foreign version,” Guy said. 

“A lot of manufacturing in the U.S. has long shifted toward the higher-end,” Guy said. “The kind of cheaper clothes we’re talking about (what most Americans buy) are made elsewhere.” Tariffs would raise those prices.

The price of almonds

California’s top agricultural exports include almonds, wine, dairy products, pistachios and other nuts.

During Trump’s first term as China imposed retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., California exports of wine, walnuts, oranges and table grapes to China fell, according to the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.

In addition, almond prices sank, with the foundation’s researchers saying prices fell from $2.50 a pound to $1.40 a pound in 2018. That had a negative impact on an industry that generates $4 billion to $5 billion a year and employs about 110,000 people, according to the website of lobbying group Almond Alliance. 

Amanda Russell, a spokesperson for the Almond Alliance, said in an emailed statement: “In previous trade negotiations, President Trump demonstrated a commitment to supporting agriculture, and we are optimistic about continuing this partnership to address the challenges and opportunities facing our growers and stakeholders.”

Besides tariffs, another likely action by Trump that could affect the state’s agriculture industry is mass deportations — a threat that has immigrants and advocates on edge. 

“I can’t see any benefit to California if he goes through with mass deportation,” said Levy, the economist in Silicon Valley. “Even the threat of deportation will affect the labor pool.”


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California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:46:00 GMT

By Sophie Austin, Associated Press/Report For America

California voters have rejected a measure on the November ballot that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor.

The constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude, but an exception allows it to be used as a punishment for crime.

That exemption became a target of criminal justice advocates concerned that prisoners are often paid less than $1 an hour for labor such as fighting fires, cleaning cells and doing landscaping work at cemeteries.

The failed Proposition 6 was included in a package of reparations proposals introduced by lawmakers this year as part of an effort to atone and offer redress for a history of discrimination against Black Californians.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in the package in September to issue a formal apology for the state's legacy of racism against African Americans. But state lawmakers blocked a bill that would have created an agency to administer reparations programs, and Newsom vetoed a measure that would have helped Black families reclaim property taken unjustly by the government through eminent domain.

Abolish Slavery National Network co-founder Jamilia Land, who advocated for the initiative targeting forced prison labor, said the measure and similar ones in other states are about “dismantling the remnants of slavery” from the books.

“While the voters of California did not pass Proposition 6 this time, we have made significant progress,” she said in a statement. “We are proud of the movement we have built, and we will not rest until we see this issue resolved once and for all.”

George Eyles, a retired teacher in Brea who voted against Prop 6, said he found it confusing that the initiative aimed to ban slavery, which was outlawed in the U.S. in the 19th century. After finding out more about the measure, Eyles decided it likely would not be economically feasible since prison labor helps cut costs for upkeep, he said.

“I really couldn’t get any in-depth information about ... the thinking behind putting that whole Prop 6 forward, so that made me leery of it,” Eyles said. “If I really can’t understand something, then I’m usually going to shake my head, ‘No.’”

Multiple states — including Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama and Vermont — have voted to rid their constitutions of forced labor exemptions in recent years, and this week they were joined by Nevada, which passed its own measure.

In Colorado — the first state to get rid of an exception for slavery from its constitution in 2018 — incarcerated people alleged in a 2022 lawsuit filed against the corrections department that they were still being forced to work.

Proposition 6’s ballot language did not explicitly include the word “slavery” like measures elsewhere, because the California Constitution was amended in the 1970s to remove an exemption for slavery. But the exception for involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime remained on the books.

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution also bans slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime.

Proposition 6 saw the second-least campaign spending among the 10 statewide initiatives on the ballot this year, about $1.9 million, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. It had no formal opposition.


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Sacramento City Council unanimously approves Railyards soccer stadium plan

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:30:00 GMT

By Gerardo Zavala

Nov. 13, 12:31 p.m. update:

Sacramento City Council unanimously approved proposals for a new soccer stadium for Sacramento Republic FC in the Railyards. The council voted 8-0 on Tuesday to pass a term sheet outlining plans that will accelerate the stadium's development.

The new project was unveiled last week. It includes the construction of a 12,000-seat stadium as well as a new entertainment venue seating over 3,500 people. The city says the development will be supported through an investment by the Wilton Rancheria Tribe, which has become Sacramento Republic's majority owner. They are also the first Native American Tribe to own a men's professional sports team.

Included in the agreement is a plan for the city to reimburse the team and Downtown Railyard Venture for the project’s estimated $42 million dollar infrastructure costs.

The city would make those reimbursement payments using property tax generated by the project. The new stadium is expected to open in 2027.

Original story, published Nov. 7: 

Sacramento Republic FC and city leaders on Thursday announced plans to construct a long-awaited soccer stadium and live entertainment venue in the Downtown Railyards.

The $175 million stadium is expected to have over 12,000 seats and is part of a larger infrastructure project aimed at making the Railyards an entertainment destination. The project also includes an additional 3,600-seat venue in the Railyard's historic Central Shops. 

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he plans to present a term sheet to City Council next week that would put the stadium on track to open by 2027.

“This is the biggest announcement for our downtown since the 2013 fight to save the Kings and build the Golden 1 Center,” Steinberg said on Thursday. 

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg speaks during a press conference in which city officials and Sacramento Republic FC leadership announced plans to build a long-awaited soccer stadium on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

Team officials said this development proposal was possible thanks to a “major investment” from a new ownership group: Wilton Rancheria, the Tribe which owns Sky River Casino in Elk Grove. 

City officials said Wilton Rancheria is the first Tribe to hold majority ownership in a men’s professional sports franchise. 

“This partnership is far more than a business transaction, it represents a significant step forward,” said Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango. “[It] honors the Tribe’s deep and enduring connection to this land, while celebrating the diversity that defines the Sacramento region in an industry where ownership has traditionally lacked diversity.”

Former majority owner and team CEO Kevin Nagle will remain a part owner and manage the team-Tribe partnership.

Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango holds a custom Sacramento Republic FC jersey with his name on it at a press conference in Downtown Sacramento on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

Sacramento’s long fight for a Downtown soccer stadium

In 2019, city and team officials similarly held a press conference announcing plans to develop a soccer stadium and entertainment district in the Downtown Railyards. But that came with one big caveat: It would only be built if Major League Soccer picked Sacramento as a franchise location.

City Council approved the $262 million plan just days after the announcement was made. Five months later, MLS announced Sacramento Republic FC would be its newest expansion franchise. 

“In a few short years, your club has captured the hearts and minds of soccer fans in this city and throughout the region, and the entire sport has taken notice,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in 2019. “There is no doubt that this is a soccer city.”

The team was initially supposed to make their MLS debut in 2022. But the pandemic pushed back that start date to 2023, and then lead investor Ron Burkle backed out in 2021, scrapping Republic’s opportunity to play in the top division.

In the years since, there have been a number of rumors around new investment groups and potential MLS expansion bids, but none have come to fruition.

Wilton Rancheria Chairman Tarango said MLS is still on the team’s radar. 

“If the opportunities down the road appear, I think we'll be more than welcome to that opportunity, and I think [MLS] would be more than welcome to have Sacramento's region involved in that, especially with our media market here,” he said on Thursday.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Sacramento Republic CEO Kevin Nagle shake hands at a press conference announcing plans to build a long-awaited soccer stadium on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

Postseason exit and a leadership change

The announcement of a new stadium comes after the end of The Indomitable Club’s 2024 season. Sacramento reached the USL Championship playoffs for the 10th time in its 11-year history, traveling to Cashman Field on Nov. 1 to face Las Vegas Lights FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinal. It was only the second time in the team’s history that Republic FC played on the road for the opening round.

The teams played to a scoreless draw after 120 minutes and the match went to a penalty shootout, which Las Vegas won 3-2.

Following their playoff exit, Republic FC announced on Nov. 4 that it was parting ways with head coach Mark Briggs after five years.

Briggs was Republic FC’s fourth head coach and the longest-tenured coach in the club’s history. He led the team to the postseason in four out of five seasons — the opening round in 2020 and 2024, the Western Conference Semifinal in 2022 and the Western Conference Final in 2023.

Briggs also coached Sacramento to a historic U.S. Open Cup final in 2022, beating three MLS teams along the way. This was the first time a second-division club reached the cup final in almost two decades.

“Sacramento is a very special place, with a one-of-a-kind club and incredible fans. I’d like to thank the players who’ve been a part of the past five years, the front office who’ve been incredibly supportive, and the fans who welcomed me into the club with tremendous passion and vigor,” Briggs said in a prepared statement earlier this week. “I’m grateful for my time here and it has been an honor to be a part of this community.”


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As California taps pandemic stockpile for bird flu, officials keep close eye on spending

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 21:14:00 GMT

By Don Thompson, KFF

California public health officials are dipping into state and federal stockpiles to equip up to 10,000 farmworkers with masks, gloves, goggles, and other safety gear as the state confirms at least 21 human cases of bird flu as of early November. It’s the latest reminder of the state’s struggle to remain prepared amid multibillion-dollar deficits.

Officials said they began distributing more than 2 million pieces of personal protective equipment in late May, four months before the first human case was confirmed in the state. They said they began ramping up coordination with local health officials in April after bird flu was first detected in cattle in the U.S. Bird flu has now been confirmed at more than 270 dairies in central California, and traces were recently detected at a wastewater sampling site in Los Angeles County. Bird flu was also recently detected in a flock of commercial turkeys in Sacramento County.

California is putting a number of lessons from the covid-19 pandemic to use, such as coordinating emergency response with local health officials and tracking infectious diseases through wastewater surveillance, as the state tries to limit the spread of bird flu to humans. It’s striving to maintain an adequate emergency stockpile to withstand the first wave of any new public health disaster without hemorrhaging the state budget.

“We are far better prepared to respond to a pandemic than we were in 2020,” said Amy Palmer, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

For instance, before the coronavirus struck in 2020, the state’s emergency supplies stockpile was barely big enough to crowd two basketball courts.

By the time California ramped up its pandemic response, it had enough personal protective equipment and other disaster supplies to fill 52 football fields. California spent $15.6 billion on direct pandemic response during the covid crisis years, much of it provided by the federal government.

Today, the stockpile fits into about 12½ football fields, though it can seesaw from month to month.

According to the state, the current stockpile includes 101 million face masks, 26 million more than the 90-day supply recommended by the state’s pandemic preparedness guideline.

That includes 88 million N95 masks, more than the emergency services agency said was needed last year. The high-efficiency masks are considered crucial to protect against airborne viruses such as covid-19.

Although the state is building up its stockpile, Palmer could not say if the additional masks are related to fears of bird flu, only that planners are always working “to keep pace with the current risk environment.”

The state’s goal, Palmer said, is to have “an initial supply during emergencies to allow us the time to secure resources,” whether through the federal government or by buying more.

There is no indication of spread between humans in the recent California bird flu cases, and health officials say public risk remains low. Human transmission of bird flu is among several worst-case scenarios for a new pandemic, alongside the possibility of a resurgent mutant coronavirus; wider international spread of mpox, Marburg virus, or Ebola; or an entirely new virus for which there initially is no immunity or vaccine.

Yet, health officials nationwide have struggled to track bird flu transmission. And California has a history of swinging back and forth on preparedness.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered an increase in California’s pandemic preparedness in 2006 in response to an earlier threat from bird flu. That included three mobile hospitals that could immediately be deployed during disasters.

Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, ended the program in 2011 as state finances went bust. By the time covid struck, the state released 21 million N95 masks, some so old they were past their expiration date.

Now hospitals are required to maintain their own three-month supply of masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment under a state law passed in 2020. California’s aerosol transmissible disease standard also uniquely requires hospitals and other high-risk workplaces to follow precautions such as using negative pressure isolation rooms and the highest level of protective equipment until more is known about a new pathogen.

“It is difficult to overstate the level of unpreparedness exhibited by hospitals both in and outside of California in dealing with the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19,” according to a legislative analysis. “Harrowing images of nurses walking the corridors of hospitals in makeshift masks and garbage bags became commonplace.”

California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea said hospitals “continuously prepare to respond to all types of disasters, including outbreaks of transmissible viruses.”

In addition, Palmer said California has five mobile hospitals acquired from the federal government, though they got little use during the pandemic. She said they have to be maintained, such as making sure pulse oximeters have working batteries.

But, once again, the current deficit has the state trying to strike a balance.

While lawmakers rejected most of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $300 million proposed cut to public health funding, the state slashed funding for its stockpile of personal protective equipment by one-third a year ago after it determined that no additional covid-related purchases were necessary, according to the Department of Finance. California eliminated funding this year for eight 53-foot-long trailers that would have moved stockpiled items between warehouses. It’s also cutting nearly $40 million over the next four years from its $175 million disaster stockpile budget.

The state’s preparedness wasn’t good enough for Californians Against Pandemics, which gathered more than 1 million signatures to put a ballot measure before voters in November. The measure would have increased taxes on people with incomes over $5 million and used that money for pandemic prevention and response.

But that effort collapsed after one of its key financial supporters, former cryptocurrency executive Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of defrauding customers and investors. In exchange for initiative backers dropping the measure, state officials agreed to broaden the scope of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, which was created in 2015 to focus on developing new medicines and therapies, to include technologies for preventing another pandemic.

“By harnessing the power of precision medicine, California is moving to the forefront of pandemic preparedness and prevention,” Newsom said at the time.

Rodger Butler, a spokesperson for the state Health and Human Services Agency, said it’s unclear if the precision medicine initiative will receive additional funding.


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Newsom asks for federal funding ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:17:00 GMT

By Megan Myscofski

Governor Gavin Newsom went to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with California’s Congressional Delegation and the Biden Administration and advocate for federal funding to the state before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. 

Newsom told a Spectrum News reporter in the capital that he has concerns the state will lose some federal funding — which Trump threatened while campaigning.

“I guess that's what people voted for, but I got to tell you, a lot of folks will be hurt if we don't push back,” he said. 

Newsom said he’s advocated for funds related to the environment, disaster relief and health care.

That includes two Medicaid waivers — one to put more funds towards behavioral health treatment, and another to renew the state’s MCO tax, which California voters just approved through Proposition 35. 

The governor also pushed for more federal land protections, clean air and water support, and approval on several waiver requests to support the state’s climate and emissions rules. 

Lindsey Churchill works with the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, which supports survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire. 

She said federal funds are already challenging to work with because of how slow they tend to roll out. 

“When you’re trying to provide programs in a timely manner after a disaster, you don’t necessarily have time to wait a year or longer for that kind of funding,” she said. 

She added that she’s also concerned about the Trump administration withholding funding, especially as natural disasters become more frequent and costly.


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Live: T Bone Burnett Rocks Phoenix

By www.antimusic.com
Published On ::

Fans of Americana and folk music got a rare treat on Saturday, November 9 as T Bone Burnett performed in the music theater at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix during his first tour in 18 years


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CapChat: Previewing The California Democratic Party Convention

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Thu, 30 May 2019 07:00:00 GMT

This is a big week in the California State Legislature. We’ve reached that point in the calendar where bills must pass the house where they originated. Big items on that list are police use of force and several others.

Also, the California Democratic Party Convention is this weekend in San Francisco. Fourteen presidential candidates are slated to attend. (Former Vice President, Joe Biden is not attending. He’ll be in Ohio) This alone suggests the importance of California to the 2020 election.

California Democrats have long set the policy agenda for other blue states and are now influencing the party’s presidential primary because the state has moved its primary up to early March. CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler has an update in this week’s CapChat.


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Capitol Chat: It’s Budget Season In The State Capitol

By www.capradio.org
Published On :: Thu, 06 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMT

This is the time of the year when bills thrive or die.

We’ll have Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler with us to tell us where things stand.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the two houses of the State Legislature spend the winter and spring finalizing a budget, ahead of the key deadline, which is June 15 of every year. California’s fiscal year is July 1 to June 30, so the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year is rapidly coming to a close. Ben will be with us to discuss the budget crunch from the Assembly chamber.


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What’s red and green and served all over? Pescado a la Talla and here’s how to make it.

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:00:34 +0000

This photogenic, red-and-green whole fish from Contramar in Mexico City has been replicated at restaurants across the country, and for good reason.


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Editorial: No, Mr. President-Elect, you can’t call your mass deportation scheme “Operation Aurora”

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:00:02 +0000

Find another name for your mass deportation agenda, Mr. President, because Aurora, Colorado, is a safe haven for immigrants who are prospering in a community that has embraced their culture, heritage, and sometimes their tenuous legal status.


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A federal law mandated outside oversight of crime labs. CBI didn’t use it, watchdogs allege.

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:00:08 +0000

The criticism comes in the wake of revelations that longtime CBI forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods routinely deleted and manipulated DNA testing during her nearly 30-year career, creating unreliable results in hundreds of cases.


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Supporters of Colorado Springs’ Black mayor faked burning cross, racist slur during 2023 campaign, feds allege

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:57:30 +0000

Federal prosecutors say all three supporters worked together to spray-paint a racist slur aimed at Black people on a campaign sign for Mobolade on April 23, 2023, during the city's mayoral runoff election campaign


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Judge dismisses fatal I-70 crash case over Jeffco DA’s discovery violations

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:49:48 +0000

County Court Judge Corinne Magid found prosecutors missed discovery deadlines multiple times and did not tell defense attorneys about a witness’ exculpatory testimony until the day before a jury trial was set to begin.


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Man sentenced to jail, community corrections in University Hill shooting

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:23:22 +0000

A man who fired a gun on University Hill in 2022 before being shot by police accepted a plea deal on Friday and was sentenced to two years in jail and eight years of community corrections.


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Colorado State Patrol trooper struck, injured by suspected drunken driver in El Paso County

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 01:15:29 +0000

A Colorado State Patrol trooper was airlifted to the hospital Wednesday after his patrol car was hit by a suspected drunken driver while the trooper was investigating a crash.


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Denver mail carrier robbed in Central Park neighborhood

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 02:29:16 +0000

The United States Postal Inspection Service is seeking information after a mail carrier was robbed in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, the agency said in an alert Wednesday.


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O.R.K. Has A Message For Everyone Who Doesn't Pick Up Their Phone On New Single "PUTFP"

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:28:00 +0000

Featuring Colin Edwin, Pat Mastelotto, Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, and Carmelo Pipitone.


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LINKIN PARK To Announce A 2025 World Tour Tomorrow

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:00:14 +0000

A lotta venues around the world are teasing it.


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TRIVIUM's MATT HEAFY Thinks Everyone Should Try 9-String Guitars: "It's So Much Fun To Play"

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:44:43 +0000

"I've just been screwing around making weird music with it."


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IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT Streams "Hotel Sphinx", Announces New Album Goldstar

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:15:37 +0000

As strange and unnerving as they've ever been.


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TILL LINDEMANN Announces Late 2025 European Tour Dates

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:16:28 +0000

Starting in October.


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SAVAGE LANDS (MEGADETH) Recruits ARCH ENEMY, SEPULTURA, OBITUARY & More Members For Debut Album

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 19:03:43 +0000

Dirk Verbeuren and Sylvain Demercastel, out here doing good in the world


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EP Review: MAMMOTH GRINDER Undying Spectral Resonance

By metalinjection.net
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:08:42 +0000

"The only disappointing thing about the release is that it's only an EP. The band does such a fantastic job here that it leaves me wanting more."


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Nuggets Mailbag: Could Denver trade for a backup big to Nikola Jokic this season?

By www.denverpost.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:45:32 +0000

The Nuggets will likely be hard-pressed to acquire a rotation-worthy big man before the trade deadline.


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